Psychiatry Investig.  2016 May;13(3):277-287. 10.4306/pi.2016.13.3.277.

Emotional Regulation and Executive Function Deficits in Unmedicated Chinese Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder

• Jiang W
• Li Y
• Du Y
• Fan J

• KMID: 2316644
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2016.13.3.277

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
This study aims to explore the feature of emotional regulation and executive functions in oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) children.
METHODS
The emotional regulation and executive functions of adolescents with ODD, as well as the relationship between the two factors were analyzed using tools including Adolescent Daily Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ADERQ), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), in comparison with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children without behavioral problem and healthy children; the ADERQ assessed emotional regulation ability and others were used to assess executive function.
RESULTS
Compared to normal children, the ODD group displayed significant differences in the scores of cognitive reappraisal, rumination, expressive suppression, and revealing of negative emotions, as well as in the score of cognitive reappraisal of positive emotions. WCST perseverative errors were well correlated with rumination of negative emotions (r=0.47). Logistic regression revealed that the minimum number of moves in the Stocking of Cambridge (SOC) test (one test in CANTAB) and negative emotion revealing, were strongly associated with ODD diagnosis.
CONCLUSION
Children with ODD showed emotion dysregulation, with negative emotion dysregulation as the main feature. Emotion dysregulation and the lack of ability to plan lead to executive function deficits. The executive function deficits may guide us to understand the deep mechanism under ODD.

Keyword

Oppositional defiant disorder; Emotion regulation; Executive functions

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Asian Continental Ancestry Group*
Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders*
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
Child*
Diagnosis
Executive Function*
Humans
Logistic Models
Neuropsychological Tests
Social Control, Formal
Wisconsin